Post-page caller name identification system

ABSTRACT

Caller Name Identification, or CNAM Caller ID, is a telecommunication end-user feature that appeared for PSTN landline customers in the late 1980s. The rapid development of cellular mobile and VOIP telephony systems lead to the frequent omission of the CNAM Caller ID feature. Described is an independent end-user system that obtains the CNAM Caller ID after the call page transmission. The system operates on the user&#39;s smartphone or on a TCP/IP connected computer. A user with multiple telephone devices (i.e. a smartphone, landline, and VOIP line) may share use of this system between all devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to caller identificationsystems. More specifically, it relates to a post-page caller nameidentification system that bridges SS7 retrievable caller data with auser-accessible IP interface. Carrier implementation of caller nameidentification has become increasingly complicated due to thefragmentation of service providers on the North American Public-SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN). The present invention restores functionalityof this important SS7/PSTN capability, caller name identification, tothe increasing number of telecommunications end-users left without thisfeature.

2. Description of the Prior Art

To place a call using the earliest long-distance telephone systems, acalling party initiated a request with the local switchboard operator.The calling party's local operator would connect to the inward operator,and specify the called party. The inward operator would identify thecalling party to the called party, then coordinate the completedtelephone circuit with the originating local operator.

Direct dial systems using automated protocols over the Public SwitchedTelephone Network eventually phased out the operator switchboard systemby the 1960's. Unlike the system utilizing human operators, the directdial networks did not readily identify the calling party to the calledparty. The relative anonymity of automated PSTN systems created bothinconvenience and the potential for abuse. The invention of what becameknown as caller identification addressed these shortfalls. Between 1969and 1975, Mr. Theodore Paraskevakos successfully claimed twenty separatepatents related to automatic telephone line identification. By 1989,Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, and U.S. West Communications had implementedcaller identification in their consumer service offerings.

Caller identification, or Caller ID, may colloquially refer to thepresentation of either the calling party's telephone number, or name, tothe called party. The initial caller identification systems transmittedonly the calling party's phone number to the called party. By theirrollout in the late 1980's, or shortly thereafter, the “Baby Bell”Caller ID service offerings typically included both CID and CNAMfunctionality. These services grew in popularity, with tens of millionsof subscribers by the late 1990's. For this specification, calleridentification, or CID, refers to the presentation of the callingparty's phone number to the called party. Caller name identification, orCNAM Caller ID, shall refer to the presentation of the calling party'sname to the called party.

The technical protocols for Caller ID evolved since Mr. Paraskevakos'invention, to what is now industry-standard implementation over the PSTNSS7 network. Despite the standardization of the protocol, telephone lineportability deregulation significantly increased the complexity and costof a CNAM Caller ID query. CNAM information previously held in a fewdatabases of the Baby Bells increased to hundreds, if not thousands, ofdatabases operated by the emerging telephone companies.

At the time of filing, a complete CID & CNAM Caller ID query typicallyinvolved the following steps: 1) the CID is transmitted from the callingparty to the called party during SS7 call circuit provisioning (thenetwork “page”), 2) a Global Title Translation (GTT) is initiated fromthe called party's SS7 signaling transfer point (STP) to determine whichCNAM database and telephone carrier represents the calling party CID, 3)a GR-1188 CNAM query is relayed via SS7 to the service control point(SCP) for the respective CNAM database, and 4) the GR-1188 CNAM queryresult is presented to the called party. The exact sequence of eventsmay vary depending upon the called and calling party's intercarrieragreements and SS7 implementation. Characteristic of the prior artimplementations, the entire sequence of events takes place during theringing or network page, and prior to the call completion.

As mobile phones and voice-over-IP telephony (VOIP) proliferated overthe past decade, many providers never implemented full CNAM Caller ID totheir mobile or VOIP end-users. Those that did implement CNAM Caller IDusually charge a monthly fee for CNAM Caller ID. For example, a majorAmerican wireless carrier recently began offering “Caller Name ID” as apremium monthly feature. Furthermore, individuals now may own severalphone numbers, including a home land-line, a personal cellular mobile,and a VOIP line at work. Subscribing to a monthly CNAM service onmultiple lines, if the feature is even available, is costly. As aresult, CNAM Caller ID prevalence is trending backwards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing limitations inherent in the known types ofcaller identification systems present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides a post-page caller name identification system. Thisstandalone system may function for multiple telephone devices owned oroperated by the end-user. The system is independent of the end-user'scarrier implementation (or lack thereof) of CNAM Caller ID.

The utility of the present invention, which shall be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to identify the calling party's namewhen only the CID is known. This is typically the case with most moderncellular mobile and VOIP systems. The present invention's post-pagefunctionality complements the prior art. In an ideal telephony network,CNAM Caller ID would be transmitted during the page, or ring. Asdescribed above, CNAM implementation has been declining for a decade dueto increasing complexity of carriers. This necessitates the presentinvention as the next-best solution for an end-user wishing to identifya calling party.

To attain this, the present invention comprises a system that interfacesthe user directly with the calling party's SS7 SCP-connected CNAMdatabase. After a call or page terminates, the user accesses the presentinvention via the user terminal, which may operate on a mobile phoneapplication or via direct HTML web access. The user inputs the CIDinformation relayed from the calling party to the end-user. The systemthen performs a Global Title Translation (GTT) query using its SS7 node.The GTT lookup returns the respective phone carrier and CNAM databaseapplicable to the CID. The system then performs a GR-1188 CNAM query viaSS7 to the service control point (SCP) for the respective CNAM database.Finally, the CNAM query result is presented on the user-interface.

By utilizing the present invention, the end-user consolidates CNAMservices and enjoys significant cost savings. At time of filing, acommercial implementation of the present invention was offeredfree-of-charge to the user via either a smartphone applications ordirect web access. As stated above, the CNAM functionality offered bythe present invention is often unavailable, even as a premium service,on many VOIP and cellular carriers.

The calling party may opt-out from this process at three points. First,the calling party may opt-out from CID transmission on a per-call basis,which is typically known as “*67 Caller ID Block.” Second, the callingparty may inform his/her carrier to remove his information from theirCNAM database. Third, the calling party may opt-out using a formimplemented on the privacy policy page of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the exemplary implementations of the invention will becomeapparent from the description, the claims, and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 identified as subparts 1A, 1B, & 1C, represents three typicalvariations of the caller identification prior art;

FIG. 2 is a graphical depiction of the core system components and theirinteractions;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram enumerating each possible step the systemperforms to process a user query for caller name identification; and

FIG. 4 depicts two additional embodiments of the user interface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

From FIG. 1, three scenarios are identified which represent the currentprior art of caller identification systems. Scenario 1A represents theideal provisioning of a call where the called party receives both thename and phone number of the calling. In this case, the CID and CNAM are617-555-1212 and “Smith, Robert,” respectively. Scenario 1B, the middleillustration, only provides the calling party phone number. Thisscenario is typical of most cellular mobile carriers. In lieu of theCNAM, the cellular carrier will approximate the location of the callingparty, although this is frequently subject to error. Scenario 1C,illustrated at the bottom of FIG. 1, depicts a typical VOIP calleridentification presentation, which only includes the calling partynumber (CID).

Having understood the possible combinations of CID and/or CNAMpresentations possible on a caller identification system, FIG. 2embodies the components of the present invention utilized in the contextof the scenario depicted in FIG. 1B. The calling party has placed a call(1) over the PSTN, and the carrier has provisioned for the CID andestimated location to be presented on the end-user's telephone screen(2) during the network page.

The end-user initiates use of the system by accessing the user terminal.The user enters the CID from (2) into the CID entry field (3) of theuser terminal. After entering a valid CID, the user (4) submits thequery to the system. The system then initiates the “CNAM database query”(5) via the SS7 network.

There exist several methodologies to obtain a CNAM database result viaSS7, and the exact implementation depends upon the calling party'scarrier, the system's carrier, and any contractual relationships betweenthe two carriers. Exemplified in FIG. 2, and most typical, the systemperforms a Global Title Translation (6) using various Line InformationDatabases (LIDBs) to determine the calling party's carrier. In somecases, the system will already know the calling party's carrier (e.g. ifthey are the same as the called party), and this step will beunnecessary. Once the carrier is known, the system is able to route aCNAM query using GR-1188 (7) to the appropriate SS7 signal control point(SCP). The SCP controls CNAM database access for a given phone carrier.For the purposes of this invention, the entire process is referred to as“CNAM Database Query” (5) and refers to any of the proper SS7 methods toretrieve CNAM information.

Upon successful CNAM database query, the CNAM Caller ID is relayed backto the user terminal. The caller name identification is displayed on theappropriate user interface element, thereby completing the process.

FIG. 3 serves as a flow diagram enumerating all possible steps for thesystem, as embodied, to carry out its function. The utilization of thissystem commences upon end-user receipt of a CID page (100). The userthen activates the system by entering the page CID into the CID entryinterface (101). Before the system proceeds, it first validates that theCID is not listed within the system's opt-out privacy database (102). Atthis stage, the system may also ask the user to confirm the CID had beentransmitted to a telephone device they own or operate.

The system then instructs the SS7 interfacing node to initiate an SS7session, if one is not already active (103). The exact state orinstructions relayed to the SS7 switch/node varies depending uponcarrier implementation. Once the SS7 session is active, a Global TitleTranslation (GTT) is performed using the CID from the CID entryinterface. (104). The GTT returns the calling party carrier informationnecessary to locate the carrier's CNAM database on the SS7 network. Aquery is thereafter sent, usually via the GR-1188 protocol, to thesignal control point (SCP) for the calling carrier CNAM database (105).Assuming the calling party didn't opt-out from its carrier CNAMdatabase, the calling party's CNAM is returned to the system's SS7 node(106). Then, the CNAM database query result is displayed on the userinterface (107).

FIG. 4 depicts additional embodiments of the system relating to its userinterface. In this illustration, the system's SS7 interface (200) isphysically separated from its user interface. The user interface isimplemented on either another computer linked via the TCP/IP (204), orthe end-user's telephone that received the initial call page (203). TheSS7 interface communicates (201 or 202) with the user interface via anindustry standard API protocol such as JSON.

I claim:
 1. A system, functioning independently of a called party'stelephone carrier and device, provides a calling party's CNAM afterentry of the calling party's telephone number CID, comprising: a) anentry field, within a HTML web or mobile phone application, permittingthe called party to input a query, post-page, specifying the CID; b) anSS7 interfacing node permitting real-time access to the SS7 network; c)a function serving as a direct interface between the called party'squery and the calling party carrier's respective CNAM database; d)within the HTML web or mobile phone application, a display of thesuccessfully queried calling party CNAM.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the web or mobile phone application provides free-of-charge CNAMresolution for any of the end-user's multiple telephony devices, therebypermitting cost-savings.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the calledparty enjoys significant cost savings and free-of-charge CNAM queryingthrough an advertising display within the user interface.
 4. The systemof claim 1, wherein component function (c) additionally: confirms thatthe CID is not subject to system opt-out privacy controls; and confirmsthat the CID paged a telephonic device owned or operated by the calledparty.
 5. A method for providing a called party with the calling party'sCNAM after a network page, independent of interaction with the carrieror device receiving the page, comprising the following steps: a)entering of the calling party's telephone number CID into a web HTML ormobile phone application query field; b) connecting to the PSTN via anSS7 interfacing node; c) directly querying the calling party carrierCNAM database with the CID query entry; d) displaying the successfullyqueried calling party CNAM on the HTML web or mobile phone applicationuser interface.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising a step todisplay advertising sponsorship on the web or mobile phone applicationinterface, thereby achieving significant user cost savings andfree-of-charge CNAM querying.
 7. An SS7 interfacing node connected toboth a TCP/IP network and an SS7 communication network, comprising: aTCP/IP network interface configured to provide a connection to a userterminal, the connection being configurable over an application programinterface (API) using an industry standard protocol; and an SS7communication network interface configured to communicate with signalcontrol points (SCPs) on the SS7 communication network; wherein the SS7interfacing node is configured (a) to receive from the user terminalover the TCP/IP network interface a query of a caller nameidentification (CNAM) database for a CNAM based on a telephone numberobtained from a paging signal of an SS7 call, (b) to transmit thetelephone number in a carrier identity request over the SS7communication network interface to one or more line informationdatabases (LIDBs); (c) to receive a carrier identity from the LIDBs overthe SS7 communication network interface; (d) based on the carrieridentity, to forward the query using GR-1188 to one or more CNAMdatabases over the SS7 communication network interface, (e) over the SS7communication network interface, to receive from the CNAM databases aCNAM associated with the telephone number; and (f) over the TCP/IPnetwork interface, to provide the received CNAM as the calling party'sname to the user terminal.
 8. The SS7 interfacing node of claim 7,wherein the industry standard protocol comprises JSON.
 9. A method in anSS7 interfacing node connected to both a TCP/IP network and an SS7telecommunication network, comprising: configuring a TCP/IP networkinterface with a user terminal using an application program interface(API) that conforms to an industry standard protocol; and configuring anSS7 communication network interface that communicates with one or moreline information databases (LIDBs) and one or more SS7 signal controlpoints (SCPs) over the SS7 communication network; wherein the SS7interfacing node (a) receives from the user terminal over the TCP/IPnetwork interface a query of a caller name identification (CNAM)database for a CNAM based on a telephone number obtained from a pagingsignal of an SS7 call, (b) transmits the telephone number in a carrieridentity request over the SS7 communication network interface to one ormore line information databases (LIDBs); (c) receives a carrier identityfrom the LIDBs over the SS7 communication network interface; (d) basedon the carrier identity, forwards the query using GR-1188 to one or moreCNAM databases over the SS7 communication network interface, (e) overthe SS7 communication network interface, receives from the CNAMdatabases a CNAM associated with the telephone number; and (f) over theTCP/IP network interface, provides the received CNAM as the callingparty's name to the user terminal.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinthe industry standard protocol comprises JSON.